Overview

The Mid Hills Loop provides a 3.4-mile hike through high-elevation desert near Mid Hills Campground. The trail uses the Mid Hills to Hole-in-the-Wall (MH-HITW) Trail to climb over hills with grand views over the surrounding landscape. After descending the other side of the hills, the hike loops back towards the trailhead. Here, the main route follows sandy washes, which can be bypassed on firmer ground, to an old watering trough. At the trough, hikers can choose to follow a faint trail through the desert or follow a dirt road back to the trailhead. For late or tired hikers, the road is easier, although it requires climbing over at least one gate.

This area burned in the 2005 Hackberry Fire, and while most of the trees are gone, the shrubs and wildflowers are growing back nicely.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this trail is about as safe as it gets with no particular hazards other than a few ornery cows, which should be given sufficient distance. If returning on the dirt road, hikers need to climb over at least one gate.

The hike uses a combination of trails, routes, and dirt roads. The hike is mostly well marked, but even so, the loop requires paying attention and some minimal route-finding skills. The Park Service says that fair numbers of people get lost in this area.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, even though this hike is short, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located in Mojave National Preserve, about 2 hours south of Las Vegas. From town, drive out towards Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center. On Black Canyon Road, drive south from Cedar Canyon Road for 2.8 miles to Wild Horse Road (watch for signs to Mid Hills Campground).

Turn right onto Wild Horse Road and drive west 2.0 miles to Mid Hills Campground Road. At the campground road, do not right into the campground. Rather, turn left into the Mid Hills Trailhead parking area. Park here, this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 1; Waypoint 01), the MH-HITW Trail runs past signs to the southeast aiming for a saddle on the horizon just north of the highest peak on the near ridge. After passing a gate (Wpt. 02; be sure to close and latch the gate), the trail ascends gentle sideslopes to a 4x4 post with signs (Wpt. 03). Although not obvious, this is a T-intersection where the loop trail ends from the right. Unfortunately, cows use this trail too, and their trail continues across the main trail to the left, making the entire intersection look like a cow trail crossing the main trail.

Beyond the 4x4 post with signs, the trail continues up the sideslopes until turning to the left and climbing more steeply up the side of the mountain. The trail makes two switchbacks, then continues fairly steeply up the hillside.

This hillside burned severely, but many species are coming back; even a few conifers survived the fire. Common species growing back include Grizzlybear Pricklypear Cactus, Engelmann's Hedgehog Cactus, Mojave Kingcup Cactus, Buckhorn Cholla. Desert Globemallow, Narrowleaf Goldenbush, Cliffrose, Banana Yucca, Turpentinebroom, and lots of desert wildflowers.

The grade eventually lessens as the trail climbs onto a saddle (Wpt. 04). Views from the saddle are surprisingly long. To the east, the New York Mountain and mountains into Arizona can be seen; and to the west, the views stretch to mountain ranges beyond the horizon. For even grander views, consider climbing the remaining 150-vertical-feet to Mid Hills Peak, the summit south of the trail.

Beyond the saddle (Wpt. 04), the trail descends modestly to the southeast, then more or less contours around the summit to the east side of the peak and onto the next saddle (Wpt. 05).

The trail crosses over this second saddle (Wpt. 05) and descends into the canyon to the south. The trail descends a moderate grade contouring down and across the hillside, but staying high above the wash. When the canyon curves right, the trail turns left and runs over yet another low saddle (Wpt. 06).

Crossing this saddle, the trail descends into another canyon angling southeast. The trail starts down the east side of the wash, then cuts across the wash and continues down the west side, more steeply than before. The trail eventually descends through a large boulder pile, drops into, and crosses the sandy wash below (Wpt. 07).

The wash in this area is more of a flood plain. The wash area is broad and sandy, and the trail has been obscured by flashfloods. The trail, however, is well marked with cairns and carsonite signs. Descending the wash, sometimes on a trail and sometimes in the sand, the trail eventually arrives at a gate (Wpt. 08) in a barbed-wire fence.

Following trails and trail markers, the trail eventually climbs out of the wash and runs along the east side of a ridge of rectangular rocks (which make a good landmark in this area of shifting sand). Leaving the wash, the nature of the trail changes from walking in washes to crossing a rolling landscape where the trail is well marked and easy to follow.

The trail runs over a low highpoint (Wpt. 09), then descends to wrap around the base of a hill capped with a rocky knob. A lightly used dirt road runs east-west on the south side of the hill, and when the trail hits the road (Wpt. 10), a trail sign is visible a few steps down the road to the west.

The sign is mostly visual, but a bit cryptic. The arrow pointing south (left) and the words "follow wash" imply hiking southbound on the MH-HITW Trail. The arrow north (right) and "return to Mid Hills Campground" is more clear: this is the continuation of the Mid Hills Loop Trail.

Walking a few more steps past the sign (west on the dirt road), the road enters a broad, sandy wash (Wpt. 11). Here the MH-HITW Trail turns left to go downstream, the road continues straight across the wash, and the Mid Hills Loop Trail turns right to run upstream in the sand.

Heading upstream, the loop wraps around the west side of the hill capped with the rocky knob. Shortly, the wash forks (Wpt. 12). The main branch of the wash turns left, but without any signs until getting well past the fork.

Here (Wpt. 12), hikers have the first of several route choices: (1) follow the main wash with carsonite signs, or (2) walk overland on firmer ground without any trail markers. Staying in the soft sand, the walking is harder, but the route is marked.

Hiking overland is unmarked. In this vast and open, burned-over land, hikers are free to leave the soft sand in the wash and hike on firmer ground. The overland route runs generally northwest, angling towards Eagle Rocks, the granitic dome cropping out on the horizon. If following this route, set the GPS to "go to" Wpt. 12.

Staying on the main trail in the wash, the sandy track runs generally northwest, more-or-less angling towards Eagle Rocks. Again, hikers are free to leave the soft sand for firmer ground to the right -- the track of the old road lies to the right of the wash.

Continuing up the wash or walking overland, the route eventually becomes a well-defined and signed trail (Wpt. 12), and in this area, the trail bends a bit to the east, which feels more like it is going in the right direction because to this point, the route seemed to be going too far to the left. The marked trail parallels a sandy ditch, which is the washed-out old road, and eventually arrives at a square, metal watering trough (Wpt. 13).

Beyond the watering trough, hikers again have a choice of ways to finish the loop: (1) follow sparse carsonite markers and a few cairns along a faint official trail, or (2) follow a dirt road. For hikers tired or returning late, I recommend following the dirt road because the official trail is hard to follow.

Link to description and photos of the (1) Official Trail or (2) Dirt Road.